1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a laser guided putting aid that is detachably connected to an existing putter by which to enable a golfer to practice and perfect his putting stroke. An alignment device is included which allows that golfer to accurately align the laser guided putting aid to the putting face of his putter during the detachable connection of the putting aid thereto.
2. Background Art
Small lasers have been used with golf clubs to enable golfers to practice their stroke and improve their game. However, in some cases, the lasers cannot be coupled to an existing golf club, such that the golfer cannot use his own club while practicing his stroke. That is to say, either a specially design club must be used to accommodate the laser or modifications must be made to the existing club before the laser can be coupled thereto. In other cases, the same laser is not interchangeable between the clubs of right and left handed golfers. Thus, not all laser practice aids are suitable for use by all golfers and/or by all golf clubs. In yet other cases, the lasers cannot be accurately aligned and maintained in constant alignment with the golfer""s club, such that the laser practice aid provides unreliable results which can hurt the golfer""s game more than improve it.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a laser guided putting :aid that can be quickly connected to and removed from the golfer""s own putter without requiring that changes first be made to the putter, can be accurately aligned with the putting head to provide reliable results, and can be easily coupled to any putter, regardless of whether the golfer is right or left handed.
Examples of known laser practice aids for use by golfers to improve their game is available by referring to one or more of the following United States Patents:
In general terms, a laser guided putting aid is disclosed to be detachably connected to an existing putter by which to enable a golfer to practice and perfect his putting stroke. In a preferred embodiment, the laser guided putting aid is used in combination with a flat putting surface having a friction resistant pad over which is laid a cover to simulate a putting green. A target (e.g. a cup) is located at one end of the putting surface, and the golfer""s ball is placed at the opposite end. A target post extends upwardly from the target cup. The laser guided putting aid is coupled to the shaft of the putter by means of a clamp so as to emit a light pattern that fans out in a vertical plane towards the target cup, such that a vertical ray of light is projected along the putting surface from the laser to the target cup, and a vertical ray of light is projected along the target post extending upwardly from the target cup. If the golfer""s putting stroke is off target (i.e. non-linear), the horizontal ray of light will shift off the target post to provide an instantaneous visual indication to the golfer that his putting stroke is off-line. The golfer can continue to practice his putting stroke until the horizontal ray of light no longer moves off the target post.
The laser includes an upper body and a lower turret that is rotatable relative to the upper body. The upper laser body includes a battery voltage supply and an on-off switch. The rotatable turret includes means to direct a beam of laser light to a cylindrical lens located within a rotatable lens housing. The cylindrical lens generates the light pattern that is emitted from the lens housing so as to fan out in the vertical plane along the putting surface towards the target cup. The turret is rotatable in order for the laser to be used with the putters of both left and right handed golfers. The lens housing is rotatable to allow the laser to be initialized in order to account for the particular stance of the golfer and the manner in which the golfer holds his putter relative to the golf ball.
The clamp for detachably connecting the laser to the golfer""s putter includes a pair of opposing clamping jaws that are sized and shaped to surround and grip the shaft. One of the clamping jaws is pivotally connected and rotatable relatively to the other clamping jaw under the control of a toggle lever. The toggle lever has a cam surface that is rotatable into contact with the pivoting clamping jaw so as to apply a clamping force thereagainst, whereby to cause the pivoting clamping jaw to rotate towards and close against the other clamping jaw such that the clamp and the laser carried thereby are now reliably attached to the shaft of the putter without requiring any changes to the putter.
According to a first embodiment, the alignment device is a tool that is temporarily coupled to the laser to align the laser with the head of the golfer""s putter so that the light pattern being emitted from the lens housing will fan out in a vertical plane that is perpendicular to the putting surface. The alignment tool includes a pair of spaced, parallel aligned connecting arms that are bent at a 90 degree angle, a laser contact rod ex tending between the connecting arms at one end of the alignment tool, and a striking face contact rod extending between the connecting arms at the opposite end of the alignment tool. The laser contact rod is pivotally connected to the laser at an alignment slot formed in the rotatable turret at the bottom of the laser. The laser contact rod of the alignment tool is then rotated within the alignment slot at the same time that the clamp is rotated around the shaft of the putter until the striking face contact rod of the alignment tool is moved flush against the striking face of the putting head of the putter. A rotation of the clamp causes a corresponding rotation of the laser connected thereto such that the laser will now be positioned relative to the striking face of the putting head so that the pattern of light emitted from the lens housing thereof will fan out in the vertical plane along the putting surface to cause the horizontal ray of light to be projected against the target post extending upwardly from the target cup.
In an alternate embodiment, the aforementioned alignment device is a reflecting surface (e,g., a mirror) that is mounted on a raised side wall of the putting surface. The head of the putter is located against the opposite sidewall of the putting surface. The laser carried by the putter shaft generates a beam of light laterally across the putting surface that is reflected by the opposing reflecting surface back to the laser. The clamp is rotated around the shaft to cause a corresponding rotation of the laser connected thereto until the incident and reflected beams of light which are generated by the laser and reflected by the reflecting surface across the putting surface and between the sides thereof are coincident. The laser will now be aligned relative to the striking face of the putter so as to emit the pattern of light at one end of the putting surface that will fan out in the vertical plane along the putting surface to cause the horizontal ray of light to be projected against the target post extending upwardly from the target cup at the opposite end of the putting surface.